A Dangerous Game
by BlackQueenofHearts1
Summary: Raizo has been captured by a mysterious man from another clan and Mika Corretti is being used as a bargaining chip against him. Together they must find a way to survive this deadly game of cat and dangerous ninja clan revenge. Can they find a way to complete their mission... or will they die together?


Raizo slowly opened his eyes and fought the dizzying fog of pain that hit his consciousness. He had to stay focused and alert if he wanted to get out of this situation alive. He was currently bound to a chair with chains wrapped so tight that he could barely breathe. He was shirtless, shoeless, and his long black hair was matted with blood from his beatings. He looked down to see the barely healed gashes on his chest. They would beat him. Allow him to heal. And then beat him again. He didn't know how long he'd been held in this place. All he'd known was that he'd been careless.

And it was because of Mika Corretti.

After the destruction of the Ozunu clan he had vowed to stay away from Mika Corretti. She deserved a normal life after all that he'd put her through... and the best way to give her that was to stay away. He'd dragged her through several nights of pain and terror and he swore to himself that he would never put her through that again. Especially when she'd nearly died saving his life. He could still see the head of his clan piercing her through the chest with a sword... and that thought alone... despite the relief at her being alive... was what kept him away. She would be safer if he stayed away. He'd checked on her sleeping form while she was hospitalized from the stab wound through her chest. She had been heavily medicated and she looked so small and fragile in her hospital room. It had taken all of his willpower to leave her... he hadn't realized it would be so hard until he actually tried to walk out the door. The faint sound of her heartbeat ringing in his ears. Her soft scent lingering in his nose... but he'd forced himself to walk away.

Then one morning he'd caught sight of her. He hadn't been looking for her. She'd just happened to pass by- and he'd let his guard down. He'd long since left Berlin in an effort to keep the remaining clan's attention on him. He always knew there was a possibility that the remaining clans would use Mika to get to him- but that would only happen if he showed a prolonged interest in her. He'd left Berlin three years ago and had been living in the shadows ever since. He'd relocated to America- a place bustling and teeming with so many different types of people that it would be almost impossible to find him. He'd found a normal job and as a dishwater in a crappy Asian restaurant in Los Angeles that would pay him under the table with no questions asked- and had lived a ghost. Mika Corretti had passed right by him one morning on one of his breaks. He had been outside one morning drinking tea near the entrance of a side alley by his job. Her scent had mingled with the other scents and he'd almost missed it. Her heatbeat mixing with the others that it almost gave him a headache. He'd just happened to look up and... there she was.

She was half walking and half running down the street like she was late. She was dressed in conservative work wear and talking into a cellphone while drinking coffee.

Her hair was longer. Those dark ringlets cascading over her shoulders and bouncing with each step.

"Dammit Ryan..." She was saying into the phone. " I just got back to states, I have jet-lag, and I'm not prepared for this meeting-"

She's suddenly stopped and turned and Raizo ducked back into the alley. His heartbeat pounding a mile a minute.

Mika.

Mika Corretti was in Los Angeles. He could hear her heartbeat now that he was focused on it. That solely unique patter that only came from her heart on the left side of her chest. He could hear it receding as she moved away. It was when he stepped out of the alley to get another look that he realized he had let his guard down. Because as soon as she stepped out the alley he found himself face to face with a man. He had narrow dark eyes, and slicked back black hair with a few strands falling into his face. They were roughly the same height...only his smile was mischievous and cruel. He was dressed in all black .

"Hello Raizo..." The man said humor fully but that laughter didn't reach his eyes. " You're a hard man to track down."

The man moved so fast that Raizo didn't even see it. His neck was suddenly bleeding and the blood slicked through his fingers...and then his world was blurring. And the last word he thought before blacking out was a name.

Mika.

When he'd awoken he'd been in a large steel room bound to a steel chair. Shirtless, shoeless, and the man who attacked him now wearing a crisp business suit. He was crouched in front of him as if waiting for him to wake up.

"Sup." The man had said to him. Raizo fought a sickening wave a dizziness and forced himself to focus. " Sorry I had to take you out like that. Superiors wanted you alive. Me, personally I just would've killed you right then and there. But you know how nine clans are-well eight clans now. Blood begets blood. They want to see you suffer and bleed and shit like that."

He paused and stared at Raizo.

" My name's Takashi by the way. Thought you should know the name of the man whose eventually gonna kill ya...So you're the man who destroyed the Ozunu clan..." The man said coyly with a tilt of his head. " That's some crazy shit there man. There's a reason no one goes around destroying clans. It upsets the balance of things. Nine clans means there can never be a split vote. Eight clans means shit is bound to hit the fan. So we of the Gotsutu clan decided on a solution."

Raizo felt himself pale at the name of the Gotsutu clan. They were the Ghost Clan... the second most ruthless clan after the Ozunu clan but twice as conniving. They never left evidence of their presence. There were never any bodies to be found by their assassins. Their targets simply disappeared in seeming random places. Like they'd been abducted by ghosts.

"You destroyed one clan..." Takashi laughed. "Now we want you to destroy another."

Mika couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong. She couldn't explain it...but her scar was aching. The scar where she'd been stabbed through the chest was aching like a son of a bitch and that only happened when something bad was about to happen. She'd just got to the states several days from now and was still suffering from a hell of a case of jetlag. It was morning when she left Berlin and morning when she got here. She hadn't gotten a decent sleep since.

Right now she was tapping her pen on the glass table to try and stay awake. She been sent to the United States to give a presentation to a sister branch of Europol in the United States about how she'd linked a string of mysterious disappearances to rogue criminal organization simply known as Ghost. There was relatively little information about them but her research was thought to be pertinent to some cases in the U.S- so she'd been sent as a liaison. Of course, as soon as she'd got there she'd been the "odd girl out" in a room full of alpha males who'd basically hijacked her presentation and left her sitting to the side like an awkward school girl. Of course part of her was irked... and part of her was tired as hell from the jet lag. She'd probably stay for a couple of days to a week before heading back to Berlin. She'd probably visit her brother while she was in the city. The only person in her dysfunctional family that she had any contact with.

"...Do you have anything else to add...Ms. Corretti?" A voice asked politely from the side.

She looked at the handsome agent with the baby blue eyes and blond hair and serious gaze. He was peering at her through his glasses.

"No." She said with more confidence than he felt.

He looked at the room full of suits.

"Then our meeting is adjourned. Everyone report back here at 14:00 for an additional debriefing." He said authoratively. Ten he turned towards Mika, " You as well Ms. Corretti."

Mika smiled wanly at him before gathering her things and hightailing it out of the room before anyone asked her anything. She was tired as all hell and he needed to sleep. She'd even made it out of the building before someone got her attention.

"Mika Corretti." Her name was said with such confidence that it forced her to turn around. There was a stunning Asian man standing in all black behind her. His dark eyes twinkling mischievously but their was an aura about him that made her wary. That reminded her of... Raizo. She took a cautious step away from him. Her hand moving to her purse where she kept her firearm. She watched as his eyes tracked the movement. He moved closer. "We have a mutual acquaintance we need to discuss. Does the name Raizo mean anything to you"

Mika felt her heat stop completely in her chest, and she tried to school her reaction but failed miserable. She hadn't seen Raizo in three years. She might have thought he'd visited her in the hospital once but that was just her morphine induced hallucination. She knew she couldn't trust this man and yet...

"Raizo?" She said shakily. She steadied his breath. "Do you know him? Is he okay?"

"I know him." The man said with a smile. " But he'd definitely not okay. Want me to take you to him?"

This man was a wolf in sheep's clothing. He was dangerous and she knew she shouldn't trust him.

"How do I know if I should trust you or not?" Mika said glancing back toward the Federal building and when she looked at the man again he was right in front of her. She felt all the air freeze in her lungs. This man was like Raizo.

"This isn't about a matter of trust." He whispered in her ear. " This is about how badly you want to see Raizo...either come with me now or you'll never see him again."

Mika felt a lump in her throat forming. She struggled to speak around it. She weighed her options. There was a huge chance that he was gonna take her no matter what decision she made. Or he could kill her. Either way she was screwed. But if she came willingly... she might get to see Raizo.

"Okay." She whispered and squirmed as the man invaded her personal space and moved closer to her.

"And that's exactly what I wanted to hear Ms. Corretti..." The man said to her, " The name's Takashi by the way. Anyone ever tell you how much prettier you are in person?"

Mika didn't know when exactly she went to sleep. One minute she was talking to a mysterious man named Takeshi about seeing Raizo... and him saying she was prettier in person...and then nothing. nada.

"Wake up gorgeous." A familiarly annoying voice was saying in her ear. " I'm taking you to see your boo as promised."

Mika opened her eyes and saw that she was laying on a really lumpy couch in a large steel room. Takashi was squatting right in front of her and was playing with a tendril of her hair. He sighed suddenly. " You're really gorgeous ya know. A shame really."

He suddenly stood and offered her his hand. She stared at it like it was poisoned and then got up on her room. She glanced around the room. Steel and Grey with elevator doors on two of the walls. She didn't see her purse that contained her gun or cellphone. She looked at Takashi who was studying her. She wanted to ask where she was but had a feeling he wouldn't tell her.

"Where's Raizo?" She asked instead.

"Raizo, huh?" He said playfully. " You know it's not cool to talk about another man when we're alone together right?"

Mika gave him one of, You-can't-be-serious-looks, and he laughed.

"Fine. Fine. I'll take you to Raizo." He said taking her hand without permission and dragging her toward the elevator doors. They opened and they indeed stepped inside the elevator and Takashi punched in an intricate series of numbers while whistling. He kept hole of her hand.

"Now, he's not in the best of shape." Takashi commented with a swing of the entwined hands. " But don't blame me doll. He brought it on himself."

Then the elevator doors swung open and they were in another steel room. There were other suited men in this room hanging about the fringes of the room but her attention was only on one. The one bleeding and bound in the middle of the room.

"Raizo!" she shrieked suddenly darting forward but felt herself yanked backward by the pull of Takashi's hand.

"Now hold on doll..." He was saying but she didn't hear a word he said. Her heart was pounding rapidly. She didn't realize how badly she needed to see Raizo until this very moment. She never knew what happened to him. He'd disappeared and left her alone with all her paranoia of the dark and ninjas and...he was slumped in his chair unmoving.

"What the hell did you do to him?" She whirled yelling at Takashi and yanking her hand from him in the process.

She saw all the playfulness leave Takashi's gaze in an instant. She remembered at that moment that she was dealing with a killer.

"Beat the living shit outta him." Takashi said coldly, " He destroyed a clan Mika Corretti. What did you think we'd do to him? Tickle him. He upset the balance. No he's gonna restore it.?"

He grabbed Mika's arm and dragged her towards Raizo.

"Wake up Raizo." He said slapping him on the face to rouse consciousness. " I brought you a little gift."

Raizo slowly opened his eyes and Mika could see the bleariness in them. Then they abruptly focused on her and he went so still she didn't think he was breathing. There was blood all over his face and Mika fumbled in her pockets and found her handkerchief.

"Raizo..." she said gently with a shaky voice as she knelt in front of him. She gently wiped the blood from his face. She didn't know what to say to him. He looked the same. His hair was longer... a little past his shoulder. There was stubble along his jaw... but his eyes. Those dark intense eyes remained the same and they bored into her eyes. "What happened? Are you okay?"

He looked past her

"What's she doing here?" He said to Takashi. It was like he had totally blocked her out and Mika fumbled with her handkerchief as he seemed to pull away from her. Physically and Mentally.

"Why, she's motivation Raizo." Takashi said darkly, " to get you to destroy another clan. Well, I take that back... at first I thought you did destroy the Ozunu clan Raizo."

Takashi motioned for one of the suited men on the fringes to bring another chair and he placed that chair directly in front of Raizo. He motioned toward the chair.

"Miss Corretti, do sit." He said calmly, " It's not exactly comfortable but we do have a rather intense conversation ahead. So please, take a seat."

Mika didn't want to sit in the damn chair but something about Takashi's voice told her there was no room for arguments so she took the chair. She looked at Raizo but he wouldn't look at her.

"So, I started wondering what would make a man want to destroy a clan? Power? Revenge? Love?" Takashi continued without missing a beat. He looked pointedly at Mika. " Did you know he wanted to destroy the clan 'cause they killed his little girlfriend? She ran away, they executed her... he went apeshit and needed revenge."

Mika looked at Raizo. She didn't know he wanted to destroy the clan for his girlfriend but she said nothing.

"And then I started doing my research. Looking at all the gory little details on why he destroyed the clan. But you want to know what the funny part was? After all the research, I realized he didn't destroy the Ozunu clan... you did, Miss Mika COrretti."

That caught her attention. She turned her gaze toward Takeshi in speechless surprise. That brought a smile to his face. He crouched down in front of her in admiration.

"Yes, you... the beautiful Mika Corretti..."Takashi said softly touching her face. " Without you... none of this was possible. If you weren't in this equation the Ozunu clan would still be standing. It was you who put the tracker on Raizo and brought the outside world to the Ozunu clan... and if it wasn't for your near death experience then Raizo wouldn't have killed the head of the clan. You are like a rook on the chess board. Moving in unpredictable ways... with your death-dying luck and timing. And your special heart. So you, Mika Corretti... have upset the balance that was the nine clans. There cannot be an even number of clans. Shit will never get done. Blood will get spilled. So we need to knock the clans down to seven. So when it comes down to a vote... a fucking war won't start over a ..."

He reached out to touch her face.

"How are you going to fix this beautiful?" he whispered.

Mika was at a loss of words. She could feel her heartbeat speed up in panic? She destroyed the Ozunu clan? He made it sound like she planned the whole damn thing. It was all blind luck, blood, and terror. She didn't know what she was gonna do until she did it.

"What do you want me to do?" She whispered shakily. His hand was still on her face she saw Takashi smile.

"Now that's what I want to hear Mika." He said gently. "Actually, there's something I want you to do... that only you can do."

"Don't touch her." Raizo's voice said calmly, lowly, menacing from in front of her. That caught Takeshi's attention. He didn't take his hand away from Mika's face however. He'd made the right call. That was the most Raizo had said since they'd start beating the shit out of him. The Ozunu trained him well- they were always great withstanders of pain. But Raizo had a soft spot for miss Mika Corretti. It was easy to see was like a poisonous flower. So beautiful to look at and seemingly harmless... until you pricked your fingers on her thorns and died.

"Oh, worried Raizo.?" Takashi laughed. " Afraid I'm gonna hurt her? Take your precious Mika away?"

That was exactly what he was worried about. Mika was terrified... her heat was pounding erratically and she may not have noticed but her hand kept snaking to her chest where she'd been stabbed. Her eyes were mysteriously bright and her voice shaky. She was scared and he didn't like that. Takashi was now standing behind her with his hand on the left side of her throat.

"You're right Raizo." Takashi said dangerously. " I will hurt her to restore the balance of the clans."

And then it started. Mika began to scream. Blood curdling screams. His hand was on her throat but where he hand touched Mika's veins turned black and pulsated until they were visible. She was in obvious pain and clawed his hands but the veins spread. Raizo saw the veins inch slowly towards her heart and Mika's screams seemed to get weaker and her voice more hoarse- but she was still in pain.

"Pledge your allegiance to my clan and vow destroy another and I'll let her go." Takashi said quietly. " If you don't give the correct answer she will die."

Raizo felt his blood curdle at the sound of Mika's screams. There were tears streaming from her eyes and even though he was calm on the outside. He was rattled on the inside. It was one thing for him to be tortured- but Mika...

" I pledge allegiance to the Gotsutu clan." He said quietly without hesitation, " and vow to destroy another."

Takeshi immediately let Mika go. She was gasping and crying and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Good. good. Raizo of the Ozunu... you belong to the gotsutu clan now." He replied although he didn't sound to happy about it. He rubbed Mika's shoulder. " Now, I think you two need some rest because you two have a long day ahead of you tomorrow."

* * 8 * *

A collar was placed on Mika. That was the only thing keeping him from killing everyone in this facility. The only thing that allowed his captors to escort them both to another room without him wiping their blood all over the walls. They were transported by one of the elevators to a more comfortable living area that was more like an upscale apartment. Takashi had placed the collar around Mika's throat as a form of insurance. Mika had long since stopped weeping but she was still trembling. Raizo watched with barely contained anger as Takashi wiped the tears from his face with his thumbs. Tenderly. As if he really cared about her.

"Just a little insurance Ms. Coretti..." He said gently still rubbing her face. Mika was still seated in the chair and her eyes darted over to him before back to Takashi. " Trust me when I say I don't won't to hurt you. But I will if you test me, to prove a point, or to keep Raizo in line."

Mika touched the thin black collar around her neck. It could almost be seen as a necklace with a thing amber red jewel embedded I the front.

"What is it?" She asked despite herself. Her curiosity getting the best of her even in the worst of situations.

She saw Takashi smile at her.

"Remember that little technique I used on you." He said moving his hand to touch her throat. Mika felt herself involuntarily stiffen as the memory of the past pain filtered in through her mind. She felt the terror of feeling that pain. He tapped the collar. " This is the mechanical version of it."

He held up a small detonator device. " I push this button and hold it. You get another dose of that technique. The longer I hold it- the closer to death you get. Also, may I remind you that I do not have the only detonator. There is always someone within range of you to use it... so follow orders and everything will be fine."

Takashi looked at Raizo.

"The same goes for you Raizo."

And that was all it took to get him to cooperate with their plans. He'd pledged his allegiance to another clan and had vowed to destroy another one. The anger still churned in the pit of his stomach at the idea of Mika being used as a tool against him.

They were let into the room by elevator and given their privacy. He was a bloody mess and Mika was shaken and teary eyed. There was nothing but silence betweem them as their captors left them. The room they were left in was like an upscale apartment of dark grey steel and metallic colors. Raizo stepped into the room leaving bloody footprints in his wake as he inspected the apartment. There was a spacious kitchen connected to the livingroom and one large bedroom and bath. When he came back to where Mika was standing... she was tightly holding herself with one arm and gripping the color in her other. Raizo stood in front of her. When she'd appeared in that room he hadn't really looked at her. His mind just registered her presence with alarm and went into protective mode. She was wearing a warm brown leather coat, with a white blouse, and brown slacks that compliments her skin tone beautifully. He noted that her blouse was covered in a bit of blood. Probably his.

She was beautiful.. and those wide eyes stared blankly off into space.

"Mika." He said gently. He liked the was her name sounded on his tongue. Her dark eyes immediately flickered to him as he placed a bloody hand on her arm. She tried to smile at him but her smile wavered into a barely controlled grimace.

"Raizo..." She said in a shakey voice. " what's going on? What the hell is going on?"

Raizo fell silent and Mika stared into his eyes. And she immediately became aware of how close to her he was and the intensity of his gaze. He was watching her silently as if waiting for her next reaction and then Mika became aware of the blood covering him. She took a shaky breath and mentally steeled herself. She could have her nervous breakdown later- right now they both needed rest- and he needed to clean himself up.

"You're covered in blood." She said simply.

"Yes." He said simply. She'd forgot how deep his voice was and the affect it had on her. She tried to smile and it was shaky but she pulled it off.

"You need first aid." She said walking away and into the apartment. She looked down and saw Raizo's bloody footprint trail on the wooden floor. Wood huh... in a steel room. She shuddered at the blood but followed them to the kitchen, the bathroom, and main bedroom. She opened the closet and drawers and found clothes for both of them hanging up and folded. The bathroom cabinet had a first aid kit and towels and washrags were fully stocked. She started the shower and focused her mind on the task at him. Get Raizo cleaned up. Get herself cleaned up. Find something to eat. If the bedroom and bathroom were stocked then there was a good chance the kitchen was stocked up too. She felt the temperature of the water and found it not to hot- he could adjust it if he wanted too. She turned around and nearly had a heart attack at the sight of Raizo in the doorway. She'd forgotten how quietly he moved as he hand flew to her chest.

She nodded towards the shower.

"You should-you should get yourself cleaned up." She murmured rubbing the collar on her throat. "Then we can talk... I guess."

He just stared at her and Mika moved past him into the bedroom.

"There's, um, clothes and stuff in the closet and dresser." She said to him and then walked out of the room. He didn't follow her out and she breathed a sight a relief. Seeing him covered in blood like that made her nervous and uncomfortable. She saw the bloodprints on the floor and went to the kitchen for wet paper towels to clean in up. The chore allowed her to focus on the task at hand without any thought of what laid ahead, and once she was done...she went into the kitchen but the thought of food made her sick at the moment so she walked out. She rubbed her throat and the collar and tried not to think about the mind numbing pain that she was in and how every cell in her body seemed to scream out in pain.

She shook her head free of the thoughts.

She looked around the apartment and saw shelves with books on them. That was something that she understood and could work with. She walked to the bookshelves and saw lots on old scrolls and books on something called Gotsutu and other strange names. She registered the name Gotsutu because that was what Raizo had pledged allegiance to.

"Mika." Raizo's voice came from behind her.

She turned to see him watching her quietly and a very careful distance. He was dressed in black pajama bottoms and a grey t-shirt and his hair was still wet. She noted the stubble was gone from his face and he was clean shaven and bloodless.

"Raizo." She replied breathless. He was as handsome and intense as ever and felt her heartbeat speed up radically. It had been so long between them that she didn't know what to say.

"You should clean up as well." He said simply nodding towards the bathroom.

She nodded still rubbing the collar around her neck and moved towards the bathroom. It was going to be a long night ahead... and she didn't know how to deal with it.

She was afraid of him. He could tell by the way her heartbeat sped up whenever she was around him and he could understand why. After he saw himself all bloodied in the mirror- he looked like a crazed mad man. It was awkward between them. Three years and sudden torture and Mika being used as a bargaining chip to keep him in line had made an awkward barrier between them. He could hear the shower running again and moved into the kitchen. HE wasn' t hungry but he needed something to keep his mind busy and off of the events at hand. He was angry. He was very angry. He was so angry at the moment it took everything in him not to start throwing shit around at the situation he found himself in. This was his fault. He'd let his guard down. They'd captured Mika and him. He'd pledged allegiance to another clan. Something that was not done lightly. As of now- he was owned him. They could do whatever they wanted with him and could make him do whatever they wanted. As long as they had Mika as a bargaining chip- he'd bring down all the clans at their command.

He sighed and started making soup. Something light and hot. Something to warm up the block of ice forming at his core.

Mika. Dammit, why'd he'd get her involved in this.

"emYou didn't bring down the Ozunu clan Raizo."/em Takashi had said to him, "emMika Corretti did."/em

Takashi had said those things right before he put his hands all over Mika. Like she was his... as if he'd already claimed her. And that pissed Raizo off more than anything about this whole situation. Mika did not to belong to Takashi. She didn't even belong to-

"Something smells good." Mika said walking into the kitchen. He didn't turn around even though she'd surprised him. He must be getting rusty- since she'd snuck on him. Her heartbeat a steady rhythm in her chest and her scent permeating the air around him. He looked over his shoulder at her. She was wearing a t-shirt and checkered pajama bottoms. Her hair in a messy bun on top of her head with some strands escaping from it. Her face free of makeup- she was cute. She was still stroking the collar around her neck. " What are you making?"

"Soup." He replied simply drinking her in with his eyes. She padded across the floor beside him and looked into the pot with a sour smile.

" I wasn't hungry earlier but now I'm starving." She said standing closely beside him. He kept stirring the pot as if it weren't a big deal- as if she didn't have an affect on him. But then she laid her head on his shoulder... still rubbing her neck and the collar. She sighed. " It's been a long time Raizo. I don't see you for three years... and now this. You could've written a letter or something in ninja code. I would've figured it out."

She felt him smile more than saw it.

" I sure you could... and sorry." He said to her. " For not writing. For all of this."

He felt her nod against his shoulder and felt all the tension leave his body. He was afraid that she was afraid of him. She'd seemed so out of it earlier- but apparently she'd gotten her bearings back. He felt the familiar comfort he got from her come back in an instant. He reached for two bowls and filled them with the hot liquid and handed her one. They took the bows back to the couch and that's when he noticed all the documents covering the coffee tables.

"Sorry." She murmured sheepishly. " I got a big curious. Apparently, they have some documents on the history of the nine clans. Apparently there used to more- but they've been wiped out."

Raizo looked from the documents to Mika with a mixture of curiosity, dread, and amusement.

"I am an Forensic Researcher after all." She muttered. " I've only read a bit of it. You looked very absorbed in your soup for a while so I decided to leave you alone. And then I got absorbed in all of this."

She gathered the papers and decided to do more research later- right now they needed to catch up on what was happening right now. She stacked the papers and sat down on the couch. He chose a seat on the floor in front of the coffee table. She crossed her legs and took a couple of spoonfuls of soup. Raizo on the other hand drank it straight from the bowl.

"So... how'd you get here? And how long." Mika asked tentatively when the silence stretched a bit too long.

" I was captured." He said simply. " I'd let my guard down and was poisoned by Takashi. I've been here for about three ?"

Mika stared at him. He'd condensed this entire episode down to about four sentences.

"That's it?" Mika said in amazement.

Raizo looked pointedly at her but didn't elaborate. There was no way he was gonna tell her he was captured after seeing her walk down a Los Angeles street. He continued to meet her gaze until she sighed and stared to speak.

" I was approached outside of the Europol U.S Branch by Takashi." She said quietly. " He said we had a mutual acquaintance. You... He said if I didn't come with him I'd never see him again. So... I agreed."

Raizo didn't know if he was amazed or pissed off that she would do something so reckless. When he felt his blood boiling he was sure pissed off was winning.

"Mika..." He said dangerously.

She held up a hand.

"I know what you're thinking but I seriously didn't think I had a choice." Mika said resignedly. "Look, I'm not a ninja. I'm a Forensic Researcher and I'm sure he could've killed me in an instant if he wanted to with his speed. No matter what I said to him- I could only imagine several scenarios. They kill me. Or capture me. I couldn't have fought them off if I tried."

" I thought if I came willingly... I might get to see you as promised. So I played the hand I had okay?" She finished.

Raizo sighed. He really couldn't disagree with her reasoning. She really didn't have a choice in the matter. Takashi had gotten the drop on him- so Mika really didn't have a choice. The fact that she wanted to see him made his heartbeat erratic though. He drank the rest of his soup.

"Still, it was dangerous." He said resignedly.

"But what's even more dangerous is the fact that they want us to take down another clan." Mika continued.

"There is no "us" Mika." Raizo replied. " I will take down the clan."

Mika gave him a look.

"You can't take down an entire clan alone." Mika replied. " Takashi is right. I did play a huge part in taking down the Ozunu clan even if it was unintentional. The man made me sound like a femme fetale even though I'm basically a librarian who can barely shoot a gun. I got lucky a lot that night. The fact that I was born with a heart defect is the only reason I'm alive right now."

She reached up and touched the scar on her chest.

"I think Takashi wants me to do it again. To use my position with Europol to help take down another clan." She said quietly. She took a shuddering breath and put her face in her hands. Raizo got up to sit beside her. He rubbed her back and then pulled her against him.

" I won't let anything happen to you Mika." He said the words as if were a promise.

"Me too." Mika replied. " I won't let anything happen to you either."

And even though those words made his happy. It was exactly what he was afraid of.


End file.
